Coming Out On Top
by pixelblur
Summary: Carolina understands that, even when restrictive, the rules are there for a reason. But when they keep her from something that she wants more than almost anything else, she can only bend the rules so much before she completely breaks them. Yorkalina, rated M for smut.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This will likely remain the only piece of smut that I'll write for a good long while – I just keep feeling like someone is going to burst into the room and try to see what I'm doing, and it really throws me off my game. Hell, I typed most of this in hours past midnight, hiding under my doona because I was so paranoid about it.

That being said, I hope you enjoy it!

.:':. .:':. .:':.

York looked up in surprise as Carolina stopped by his door, clad in a tank top and sweatpants. She smiled at him. "Hey. Can I come in?"

"Sure." He nodded his assent, sitting up on his bunk as she strode into the room. The door closed behind her with a muted swish. She glanced around the room before settling her gaze on his desk, grabbing one of his lock-picking books. She raised her eyebrows as she flicked to the first page. "I didn't know you could pick physical locks as well as digital ones, York."

"I'm a man of many talents." Grinning easily, he laced his fingers together behind his head. York enjoyed flirting with Carolina. Even though she constantly rebuffed his advances, he knew she was going crazy for him.

True to form, she rolled her eyes at him. "It'd be more impressive if you could open a lock in the field without triggering some sort of alarm."

"Hey, I already told you. Those weren't my fault."

With a graceful movement (and another eye-roll), she folded herself up and sat on the edge of his bed, hand sliding gently down the page as she began to read. "Typically, in pin-tumbler and wafer-tumbler applications, a lock in the rest position is closed. The key has a series of grooves on either side of its blade, which limit the type of key the lock can slide into. As the key slides into the lock, the grooves on the blade of the key align with the wards in the keyway, allowing or denying entry to the cylinder..." Her voice was low, almost husky, and York shifted his legs up as he became aware of the front of his pants tightening. She had punched him hard enough to bruise when he'd asked for a good luck kiss before a mission, what would she do if she discovered she was giving him a hard-on? What was she even doing in here, reading him one of his lock-picking books anyway? _Why was he only just now realising that texts on picking physical locks were just one big goddamned innuendo?_

It hit him when he saw the slight smirk curling her lips as she glanced at him from under her eyelashes.

_Holy shit she's doing this on purpose._

She seemed to sense he'd reached this epiphany, because her smile grew wider and she stopped reading. "Have you got something to say, York?" Her tone was somehow both innocent and sultry.

"Just that I hope you don't punch out my good eye for doing this," he replied as he leant forward and kissed her.

Carolina's lips moved instantly against his, which he took as a sign that his vision was safe. She slid the book onto the desk behind her before climbing forward, pushing him up against the wall and straddling him. His hands seemed to move with a mind of their own, his warm, calloused fingers creeping underneath the back of her shirt, tracing the smooth column of her spine. Quickly gaining confidence, he pushed the fabric up further. She lifted her arms and he pulled the shirt free, unceremoniously tossing it onto the floor.

He couldn't help the grin that stretched across his face when he saw her bra - a rather appealing combination of lace, silk and deep turquoise. "Been planning this for a bit, have you?" She glared at him and opted out of answering by way of pressing their lips together once more, her hands curling around his shoulders. Her mouth was hot and earnest against his, and it wasn't as if he was going to deny her anything that she clearly wanted. His lips parted, tongue darting out and tracing the curve of her cupid's bow.

They both knew York had more experience in the field of making out, Carolina easily letting him take the lead. That wasn't to say she had relinquished control of the situation - she was still in charge, deciding exactly what rate their pace was going. Not that York minded much. She obviously wasn't taking the slow and steady approach, if the way she was gracelessly tugging his shirt over his head was any indication. Their lips crashed together again, teeth narrowly avoiding clashing. York's fingers skimmed along the gentle curve of her back, lingering at the dimples just above her hips. Emboldened, he slipped his hands down further and squeezed her ass. She pulled away, resting on her elbows and digging into his chest maybe a little bit on purpose. "Someone's feeling assertive today."

York grinned and moved his hand up to the back of her head, pulling her hair out of its perpetual ponytail. The loose strands cascaded around her shoulders. "You should let your hair down more often. It suits you." The double meaning of the phrase was not lost on Carolina, but she played along anyway.

"It gets in the way enough already," she replied, unsuccessfully trying to toss her fringe out of her eyes. "Sometimes I just feel like grabbing a pair of scissors and cutting it as short as CT's."

His gaze turned serious. "Don't you dare. I like you just the way you are." And with that sentiment, he started kissing her again. He deftly unhooked her bra, the material falling easily from her arms and onto the floor, joining her discarded tank top.

Another smirk drifted across her face. "If only you could work that quickly in the field," she mused.

"Hey, I can either be mocked, or kissed. You can't do both at the same time."

"I'm not sure about that. I've always been a bit of a multitasker-" she cut herself off as York took one of her nipples into his mouth, tongue swirling and flicking until it hardened.

"Or you could mock and I could kiss, that works for me too," he murmured, hot breath ghosting along her chest. She arched into him and he chuckled, one hand snaking up to cup her other breast, the other toying with her waistband.

He briefly considered rolling them over just to see her spread out beneath him, but decided against it, knowing they would likely fall out of his bunk. It was just as well that the bed was too small, really - she probably would have put him in some sort of jujitsu headlock out of pure instinct if he'd tried it. Instead, he settled for sneaking his hand below her waistband, gripping the firm skin of her buttocks with a cheeky grin.

Not to be outdone, Carolina rocked her hips against his, grinning triumphantly as he twitched and stuttered below her at the unexpected friction. He tried to say her name, but most of it was swallowed in an embarrassingly breathy moan, leaving only a strangled "'Lina." York immediately decided he liked the nickname. "God, 'Lina, you're so damn beautiful."

Later, York would wonder how she managed to work her way out of her pants whilst still straddling him, but at the time he was more preoccupied with the fact that he was in bed, naked, with a gorgeous woman who was as into him as he was into her.

She smiled lazily at him, curled into his side and not seeing any need to cover herself up in her post-coital bliss. York had a wide grin plastered to his face and an arm hooked around her shoulders, tracing slow circles on her back with his thumb. "That was fun," he told her, humour dancing in his good eye. "We should do this more often."

Her teeth flashed as her smile widened. "I guess it couldn't hurt to let my hair down every now and again."

"I'd like that," he replied softly. She kissed his jaw affectionately, then sighed.

"I should probably go. I've got a training session with North soon, it'll look suspicious if I turn up late."

He held her tighter. "I don't know, I'm quite comfortable like this. Do we really have to keep it a secret?"

"You know the protocols about intimacy between agents."

"_Protocol_?" He snorted. "Don't you go turning into Wash on me. You're far more attractive."

"York..." she growled warningly.

"Okay, I'll try."

"And if you go boasting about this, I will make you regret it in our next sparring session." She punched him playfully in the side for emphasis.

False innocence oozed off of him. "Me? Boast? I would never do such a dishonourable and egotistical thing." Carolina raised one eyebrow sceptically.

"Has anyone told you you're a terrible liar?"

The virtuousness melted into something far more devilish. "Then you know I'm telling you the truth when I say I want you for the rest of my life."

She swatted at him. "Down, boy." With another wistful sigh, she began gathering her clothes from the scatter pile strewn around the room and putting them back on. "I really have to go," she told him, the tone of her voice saying she would really rather do the opposite.

"So, I'll drop by your room the same time next week?" he asked hopefully.

Carolina finished retying her hair, her mouth quirking up as she headed for the door.

"Surprise me."


	2. Chapter 2

York hummed quietly to himself as he collected a bowl of cereal and a carton of long-life milk, dropping both on a tray and strolling over to his usual table. North was already there, digging into his own breakfast.

"Morning, North," he greeted, sliding into the seat across from him, already pouring milk into his bowl.

The older Freelancer appraised him for a moment, then, with a soft smile, replied, "Good morning to you, too. Though I'm guessing your night was a lot better than mine." York's eyes bulged and he started to choke on his cereal. "Glad you kids finally got together," North added mildly, leaning to the side as York sprayed milk and cornflakes over the tabletop.

"How the hell do you know about that?" spluttered.

"Know 'bout what?" Wash mumbled through the entire piece of toast he had shoved in his mouth, plonking down next to North.

"York and a certain red-headed Freelancer getting involved in some... ah... amorous activities last night," North supplied. York tried desperately to clear his throat, very aware of the curious glances from some of the nearby tables.

Wash was all wide-eyed wonder. "Really? How did you manage that without her beating you up?"

Throat now free of blockage, York dropped his head next to his cereal bowl. "Well, she will now. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone."

"You didn't tell me, I worked it out on my own," North pointed out.

"So I told with just my body language, then," York groaned, lifting his head and rubbing at his face. "She's still going to take out my good eye."

"We won't tell her - or anyone else - that we know," North assured him. "Will we, Wash?"

Wash, still somewhat dumbfounded, shook his head as if to say no, he wouldn't tell. He kept his comments about protocol violations to himself, knowing that they probably wouldn't be welcome.

"'M not worried about you guys, I'm worried about me. Everyone knows how bad a liar I am, she'll be able to sense the guilt rolling off me from the other side of the ship."

"Everyone includes Carolina, York. She's not naive or stupid - she knows somebody would have figured it out eventually."

A panicked, slightly hopeless look entered his eyes. His gaze darted to the door. "Then why'd she sleep with me on the first place?"

North quirked an eyebrow. "Ever consider that it might be because she's attracted to you?"

"Well, yeah, but she was pretty clear on-"

"York, she _likes_ you. We all know how she is; if she wasn't being tough on you, then I'd be worried. She's tough on everyone - and that includes herself. She's probably dealing with a bit of insecurity about this entire situation. After all, her reputation is at a huge risk if the higher-ups ever found out, not to mention her job. It probably took a lot for her to give in to her feelings. And what with Texas climbing the ranks so quickly, she's got to feel even more threatened about her position. You have to be there for her, okay?"

The brunette nodded. "You're right, I'm not thinking straight. Thanks, North."

Wash quietly finished off his last bite of toast. "So..." he cleared his throat, his usual social awkwardness getting the better of him. "Wassheanygood?"

North gazed at the ceiling and shook his head slightly.

"What?" The young Freelancer's cheeks reddened. "Isn't that the sort of thing guys are supposed to talk about? Or do you two only hang around with me because of pity?"

"They do, Wash, but when the lady in question could kick all our asses _at the same time_ it's not usually a conversation suited to the cafeteria." York grinned suddenly, putting his hands behind his head in a smugly relaxed manner. "But yeah, it was freakin' _awesome._"

A sense of foreboding crept over him, and he tossed a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure that Carolina hadn't crept up behind him. He relaxed slightly when he didn't see her, only for his shoulders to shoot up to his ears at the sound of her voice. "Other side, York."

"Damned left side," he muttered to himself as he turned around. Carolina stood behind him, on hand propped on her hip and the other balancing her breakfast tray. He forced a smile onto his face. "Hey... Carolina... How're you doing today?"

"I'm in a great mood, actually!" His heart sank into the pit of his stomach at her chipper tone. Carolina never sounded chipper. "You and I have a training match scheduled for today, and I'm really looking forward to it."

York buried his fingers in his hair. "Oh god. I forgot about that."

She smiled, sauntering off to her own table. York gazed helplessly at his companions.

"I am going to _die_."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Set between parts 1 and 2.

.:':. .:':. .:':.

"Hey North. You set?" Carolina dropped her gym bag near the wall of the training room, bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet. The male Freelancer smiled gently, lifting his hands into a defensive posture.

"Ready when you are."

They circled each other warily. Carolina suddenly feinted forward. North went to block, overbalancing when he didn't meet with the resistance he had been expecting. Within seconds, Carolina had neatly flipped him over onto his stomach, pressing his face into the mat and twisting his arm behind his back. Just as quickly, she let him free, helping him to his feet.

Rolling his shoulders, North edged to Carolina's left and swung a punch. She easily swayed out of the way, but didn't entirely sidestep the scything sweep of his leg. She hit the ground, but recovered quickly, rolling to the side and springing to her feet before moving back towards him. More conservative in his movements now, North sent a few quick jabs at her ribcage, which she batted away, throwing in a few rapid strikes of her own. He knocked her leg away when she tried to sneakily knee him in the side, and she used the momentum to flip gracefully away from him, clipping him on the chin with her other foot when he didn't jerk back quite quickly enough. With barely a pause, she sent a kick straight at his chest. He caught the kick on his forearms, pushing her back once more. Carolina made to tackle him to the ground, then suddenly snapped her body upwards, the heel of her palm speeding towards his face. She pulled the hit just before it connected with his chin and eyed him seriously. "You're leaving your upper torso open too much," she told him.

Nodding once, North accepted the criticism. "I'll work on that."

The next half-hour passed in a similar fashion - the initial grapple, the exchange of blows. Block, parry, deflect. Carolina inevitably besting him. North managed to get her in some sort of hold a few times, but she always managed to quickly work her way out of them.

Still, in previous sparring sessions, he would never have been able to get her in a hold in the first place.

He frowned. Whilst still beating him resoundingly, Carolina's game had been off during the session. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, concerned. "You seem a little distracted."

A flush that had nothing to do with strenuous physical exercise flooded her cheeks. She cursed her pale complexion. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

North eyed her shrewdly. The denial had been defensive, but it wasn't injected with the usual hostility that coloured her tone when she thought someone was questioning her ability. "Carolina, I can see something is going on. I know you're going to feel like you don't want to, but I really think you should talk about it."

"You're right, I don't want to," she huffed, walking over to her bag and pulling out a small towel to dab the sweat from her face.

"Something's happened." Her shoulders hunched slightly and she tossed the dirty cloth grumpily back into the bag. "Something's wrong," he pushed, guessing this wasn't the case. If something bad had happened, she would have been aggressive, not grouchy.

His suspicions were confirmed when her blush intensified, creeping down her neck. "Nothing's wrong."

"But something's happened," he urged gently, receiving only an irritated hand motion in response. "...Something to do with York?" he ventured, smiling when she froze for just a moment.

"That's ridiculous!" she blustered. "I would never do something like that with York!"

The smile grew. "Something like what? I didn't mention any specifics at all."

Carolina's mouth opened and closed a few times without a sound. North thought she looked like a child that was trying to deny they'd been stealing cookies when their face was covered in chocolate and their hand was in the jar. Then she scowled, folding her arms. "I tell York not to tell anyone, and then go and give it away to the next person I see. I'm never going to hear the end of this."

North's grin turned into something more conspiratorial. "He doesn't have to know that you told me. As far as he knows, you haven't told anyone."

She shot him a keen look. "And he is a terrible liar..." she murmured.

"And he does sit at the same table as me at breakfast," North added.

Carolina grinned wickedly. "And I do have a training session with him tomorrow evening."

"Wouldn't it be terrible if he told me his secret just as you were walking past?"

She peered at him inquisitively. North had always been like a caring older brother to everyone in the squad. She'd never known he had such a devious streak. "I'll tell him before we actually start sparring," she decided. "Still should be enough to make him sweat a little, though. Be nice to get some payback for all those stupid pranks he pulls."

"He did put melted chocolate in my boots last week," North offered. "I'm a forgiving person, but I can only take so much."

"He should have known better than to involve liquefied confectionery." Grinning, she zipped up her bag and hauled it up by its strap. North placed a hand on her shoulder once she straightened, squeezing gently.

"Hey, I'm happy for you," he said fondly. "I think you need someone like him."

"I think I do too," she admitted quietly, not able to keep herself from glancing at the leader board on the far wall. The things seemed to be popping up everywhere on the ship now, and even though Carolina was still at the top, Tex was catching up fast. So few things are certain, she thought absently. Especially in a job like this.

With another squeeze, North dropped his hand, and, gathering his own things, left the room. With a decidedly snarky grin, he called over his shoulder in an obvious double entendre, "Stay safe, kiddo."


End file.
